The mobile device has evolved into an open platform for executing various applications. An application, also referred to as an “app”, generally refers to a software application that is executable on a computing device, such as a mobile device. Apps, especially mobile apps, enhance many of our daily activities, for example, by providing instant access to the wealth of information over the Internet and offering various functionalities. The fast growth of mobile apps plays a crucial role for the success of the future mobile Internet and economy. There are more than 1 million mobile apps nowadays and about 2000 new apps are shipped into markets every day.
However, mobile apps could be malicious, buggy, running unexpectedly or bringing a security hole to the mobile devices. Moreover, a malicious app may threaten other hosts connected to the Internet as well as the mobile and wireless communication network nodes. A mobile malware refers to malicious software which exhibits malicious behaviors in mobile devices. The malicious behaviors of mobile malwares may be broadly categorized to include viruses, botnets, worms, and Trojan horses resident in mobile devices. Initially, it highlights a mobile communication system's security vulnerabilities. Recently, malicious mobile code has become a channel to gain financial benefits on a large scale by stealing user credentials, selling user information, manipulating content delivery and sending SMS spam, for example. What mobile apps are trustworthy for a user to consume becomes a crucial issue that impacts the final success of apps and the mobile Internet, and influences the economy related to mobile networking.
Thus, it would be advancement in the art to provide methods and systems that allow for detecting malwares effectively and efficiently.